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REPORT 


COL.  JAMES  L.  TAIT, 


C  VW'COM1VIISSIONER  OF  INDUSTRIAL  RESOURCES, 


or  TUS 


TO  THE  GOVERNOE. 


MONTGOMERY,  ALA. : 
W.    W.     SCREWS,    STATE    PRINTER. 

1871. 


REPORT. 


MONTGOMERY,  ALA.,  Dec.  21st,  1870. 
To  His  Excellency, 

EGBERT  B.  LINDSAY, 

Governor  of  Alabama  : 

Having  received  the  appointment  of  Commissioner  of 
Industrial  Resources,  vacant  on  the  resignation  of  Mr* 
Keffer,  in  April  last,  I  have  the  honor  to  report  for  the 
information  of  the  General  Assembly  the  various  duties 
in  which  I  have  been  engaged  in  furtherance  of  the  ob-* 
jects  aimed  at  in  the  establishment  of  this  department. 

Deeming  it  a  matter  of  great  importance  in  view  of  the 
speedy  completion  of  Railroad  enterprises,  especially  in 
the  mineral  region  of  the  State,  that  a  collection  of  min- 
erals illustrative  of  our  mineral  resources  shcfuld  be  made, 
I  directed  my  attention  thereto,  and  now  have  at  my  office 
for  public  inspection  and  information,  a  large  collection  of 
such  minerals  collected  by  mjself  and  at  my  own  expense, 
there  being  no  fund  appropriated  for  that  purpose  by  the 
Legislature.  I  have  directed  the  attention  of  the  public 
to  these  working  fields  of  investment  and  development 
frequently  during  my  incumbancy  of  this  office,  in  the  pub- 
lic newspapers,  and  have  through  the  same  medium  in- 
voked correspondence  and  specimens  from  every  mineral 
locality.  As  an  evidence  of  the  interest  that  has  been 
manifested  by  the  people  of  the  State  in  this  matter,  I 
have  had  rA>re  than  one  hundred  communications  relative 
thereto,  and  invitations  to  visit  numerous  localities  for  the 
purpose  of  examining  mineral  deposits,  most  of  which  I 
have  been  obliged  to  forego,  as  I  had  no  means  at  my  dis- 


posal  to  pay  the  expenses  of  such  visits.  I  have  sent 
numerous  copies  of  reports  made  by  myself,  on  the  coal 
and  iron  deposits  of  the  Warrior  and  Cahaba  Coal  Fields 
and  Red  Mountain,  to  various  sections  of  the  United 
States  and  to  Europe,  and  I  have  reason  to  know  that 
these  reports  have  been  the  means  of  directing  considera- 
ble attention  to  the  Mineral  Resources  of  Alabama ;  and 
will  yet,  I  am  persuaded,  yield  important  results. 

As  a  practical  Chemist,  I  have  established  a  Chemical 
Laboratory  at  my  office  in  the  Capitol,  to  which  I  have 
invited  the  people  of  the  State  to  send  specimens  of  min- 
erals and  soils  for  analysis,  free  of  expense,  and  I  am 
happy  to  say  that  numbers  have  availed  themselves  of  my 
knowledge  and  labor  in  this  regard. 

I  have  also  in  the  interests  of  Agriculture  examined  the 
Marl  of  Alabama,  in  various  localities,  ascertained  Jts  prop- 
erties, and  recommended  its  liberal  use  on  the  poor  and 
worn  out  lands  in  the  State. 

I  have  also  deemed  it  my  duty  to  make  extended  enqui- 
ries in  regard  to  the  practicability  of  immigration  into  the 
State,  and  the  information  I  have  obtained,  and  the  con- 
clusions at  which  I  have  arrived,  relative  thereto,  will  be 
found  under  the  appropriate  head  in  this  report. 

I  now  beg  ip  discuss  the  subjects  at  some  length  in  the 
following  detailed  examination  to  which  I  invite  the  atten- 
tion of  the  General  Assembly  : 

THE  MINEEALS  OF  ALABAMA. 

Copper  occurs  in  several  of  its  ores,  as  copper  pyrites, 
peacock  or  variegated  copper,  and' black  oxide  of  copper. 
It  has  also  been  found  in  small  quantities  in  one  or  two 
localities  as  native  copper.  The  counties  of  Talladega, 
Baker,  Coosa,  and  Tallapoosa,  seem  to  have  this  mineral 
in  notable  quantities,  but  as  no  mining  to  any  extent  has 
been  carried  on,  and  as  copper  rarely  shows  to  advantage 
at  or  near  the  surface,  there  is  little  data  to  guiSe  us  as  to 
the  probable  yield  of  these  deposits, — judging,  them,  how- 
ever, by  the  experience  at  Ducktown  in  East  Tennessee, 
which  is  a  .part  of  the  same  mineral  range,  I  have  no  doubt 


whatever,  but  that  valuable  discoveries  will  reward  the 
mining  engineer,  who  makes  this  valuable  mineral  in  Ala^ 
bama  a  speciality. 

An  English  company  has  invested  at  Ducktown  600,600 
dollars,  and  although  mining  at  considerable  disadvantage^ 
and  having  the  serious  drawback  of  being  forty  'miles' iTbm 
the  railroad,  they  are  producing  annually  two  millions' 
pounds  of  refined  coppe*,  ai<e  deriving  a  good  pr6fit  there- 
from, and  are  fivingiem^l^ 
of  500pe6£te.^>^;  aviJijao  oJ  e-fsd  I  i  d^rni 

Lead  is  also  found  in  several  localities  ^thei:-  State,  in 
the  form  of  galena  or  sulphide  of  lead,  and  as  a  carbonate. 
No  attempt  up  to  the  presefitf'ilme,  so  far  as  I  am  aware, 
has  been  made  to  rX^^^^p^GS^^  and  no  develop- 

I  1'  '     '  T     1  1  fCJWSU  • 


that  bavyta  and  flapr  spar,  especially  tjig 

in  considerable   veins  in  many  places,  w< 

there  is  abundance  of  that  valuably  m!^riali}i)aijOf.u^,iime-!. 

stone  feick^  of. 

galena  have  beep  examn 

ing  20   pounds   was  sli 

IT  •  ^ 

Ely  ton,  and  as  the  formation  in  that  section  W;ov 

a  lead  district,  I  have  great   hopes  that  a  good  :searcj 
^locality  will  rewa^jhe  ^^;;.  ^  "^ 


many  districts,  J^ut  the^psjt  j^^^ing  I  have  yet  se 

on  the  kinds  of  .Cql. ;^Wge,  lying .m.-th.e  ^as^  §ide  of  the 

Coosa  river,  in  Coosa  county,  ,  Thajfcv  gf^lfflp^Bih^^ 

tge  .trouble  to   separate .%j .^mhfigQ. .from  :!soi^©V|pf  ,: 

crude;/m^rial  taken  out  o| .' 

before  me  a  small  quantity ;,thj^t,  jq^aj  |)e.exami^^d  3try  any 

one  desirous  of  doing  so.     This  valuable  material  is  now 

so  much  in  demand,  for  a  tfBffte^  of  useful  and  scientific 

pur 


BS,  fihat  any  considerably  quantity  of  it  pure,  rwpuld 
o  be  literally  a  'mfceWf  ^e<Htb;;tP%^pbffie^sor.    J 

1  i         i  1  :     '  >H    Ob.     7-i  >'f 

have  up  to  the  present  tinii  t 

-11--    UUIViEJJL^idvild    i')i  STOIfiJ')'! 

Alabama,  but  I  have  strong  ho 

wards  the  veins  to  sorae"' d^bth  where  . 

emnamna  six   to  \a&  to  0iqm^a 


stronger,  the  pure  mineral  may  be  developed.  If  this 
should  be  the  case  in  the  future,  the  discovery  will  be 
hailed  by  every  civilized  country  as  a  valuable  contribution 
to  science  and  art.  I  wish  in  this  connection  to  say  that 
a  highly  carboniferous  shale,  is  found  in  certain  districts, 
which  has  been  mistaken  for  plumbago.  It  will  when  first 
taken  out  of  the  ground,  and  still  comparatively  soft,  make 
a  mark  similar  to  black  lead,  but  as  its  general  properties 
are  quite  unlike  that  mineral,  and  as  its  value  is  compara- 
tively trifling,  I  wish  here  to  caution  those  who  may  be 
deceived  thereby. 

GOLD. 

Of  the  precious  metals,  gold  has  been  found  in  numer- 
ous places,  and  in  some  cases,  in  workable  and  paying 
quantities  in  the  State.  It  is  generally  obtained  dissemi- 
nated in  quartz,  and  in  some  cases,  in  the  sand  beds  of 
streams,  arising  from  the  disintegration  of  the  original 
rock  in  which  it  was  held.  No  large  deposits  have  yet 
been  discovered,  such  as  has  been  common  in  California 
and  other  territory  of  the  west ;  nor  does  there  appear  at 
present  any  indications  of  unusual  richness  in  any  of  the 
existing  localities.  Gold  is  much  more  disseminated  over 
the  face  of  the  Globe  than  most  persons  are  aware  of,  but 
its  great  value  is  derived  from  the  fact,  that  it  is  usually 
found  in  such  small  quantities,  and  associated  with  and 
embedded  in  such  hard  matrix,  that  under  ordinary  circum- 
stances, the  cost  of  mining  and  washing  it  out,  is  nearly 
equal  to  the  value  of  the  mineral  when  obtained,  leaving 
little  profit  to  the  minor.  I  am  not  prepared  therefore  to 
recommend  the  working  of  these  deposits,  unless  where 
special  circumstances  warrant  it. 

SILVEB. 

While  on  the  question  of  the  precious  metals,  I  may 
take  notice  of  silver,  but  I  merely  do  so  to  say  that  not- 
withstanding the  numerous  rumors  of  silver  having  been 
found  in  certain  portions  of  the  State,  I  have  never  ob- 
tained a  single  sample  of  any  of  its  numerous  ores  as 


found  in  nature,  although  I  have  done  my  utmost  to 
try  and  trace  to  their  source  many  of  these  rumored 
indications.  The  Indians  are  said  to  have  had  silver  in 
their  possession  and  to  have  known  its  value  in  the  State, 
but  the  fact  that  there  is  no  well  authenticated  case  of 
discovery  since,  although  diligent  search  has  been  made 
by  many,  is  an  evidence  to  my  mind  that  either  it  was  ob- 
tained elsewhere,  by  these  nomadic  tribes,  or  that  some 
other  mineral,  such  as  zinc,  may  have  been  mistaken  by 
them  for  the  more  precious  metal,  especially  in  the  newly 
melted  state.  I  do  not  mean  to  say  that  silver  may  not 
be  found,  I  merely  state  the  facts  in  relation  to  this  matter 
as  at  present  existing. 

There  are  various  other  minerals,  such  as  zinc,  manganse 
ore,  iron  pyrites,  and  others  that  my  time  will  not  permit 
me  more  particularly  to  discuss,  which  have  been  also 
found  in  a  greater  or  less  quantity,  but  as  I  propose  at 
some  length  to  take  notice  of  our  great  deposit  of  marble, 
marl,  iron,  and  coal,  which  have  a  high  economic  value 
and  are  so  largely  abundant  in  our  midst,  I  must  defer 
to  some  future  time  lesser  mineral  deposits,  which  are  not 
so  available  at  present.  As  the  business  of  lime  manufac- 
ture is  a  valuable  industry  of  the  State,  it  is  I  think  un- 
necessary for  me  to  give  it  more  than  a  passing  notice. 
We  have  such  an  abundance  of  the  material  that  the  whole 
Southern  States  <?ould  be  easily  supplied  with  it,  and  I 
have  reason  to  believe  that  in  several  localities,  it  has  be- 
come a  large  and  remunerative  branch  of  business. 

MARBLE. 

The  marble  deposits  of  Alabama  are  so  numerous  and 
so  well  defined,  and  their  value  so  well  understood,  that 
more  than  a  passing  glance  at  them  in  the  present  case 
would  be  superfluous.  In  examining  many  specimens  that 
have  been  handed  to  me,  I  can,  without  hesitation,  affirm 
that  not  even  the  far-famed  Parian  and  Carrara  marbles, 
can  excel  them,  in  the  fineness  of  their  crystaline  struc- 
ture, the  beautiful  polish  of  which  they  are  susceptible,  or 
the  exceeding  purity  of  their  faultless  color.  In  other 


s 

specimens,  their  variegated  colors  have  been  so  exquisitely 
blended,  by  the  master  hand  of  nature,  that  no  mere  de- 
scription can  do  them  justice,  and  I  trust  at  no  distant  day 
many  stately  structures  of  this  handsome  and  durable 
material,  may  be  found  gracing  and  adorning  our  strikingly 
situated  Capitol,  adding  another  feature  to  its  already  ac- 
knowledged beauty  and  importance. 

MAKL. 

The  marl  of  Alabama  has  a  basis  of  lime,  and  contains 
in  notable  quantities,  carbonic  acid,  phosphoric  acid  and 
potash;  properties  of  the  'highest  fertilizing  character 
on  worn-out  sandy  lands ;  also  on  stiff  clay  soils  it  is  espec- 
ially valuable,  because  it  yields  the  elements  of  which  they 
are  found  to  be  deficient  for  the  abundant  production  of 
crops;  the  lime  also  combining  with  the  silicious  or  sandy 
soil,  renders  a  portion  of  it  soluble,  and  thus  enables  the 
tender  roots  of  the  plants,  to  take  up  the  soluble  material 
as  nourishment.  We  have  thus  in  this  natural  fertilizer, 
a  large  amount  of  the  plant  nutrition  of  guano,  and  this 
too  in  such  great  abundance,  that  no  planter  in  Alabama^ 
however  limitted  his  means,  but  may  have  at  a  compara-* 
tively  small  cost  any  quantity  desirable.  In  various  sec- 
tions of  the  United  States,  farmers  are  availing  themselves 
largely  of  the  advantages  of  this  valuable  material,  and  in 
every  case  where  it  has  been  liberally  used,  the  most  bene- 
ficial results  have  been  obtained. 

In  the  State  of  New  Jersey,  it  has  become  not  only  an 
important  branch  of  industry,  with  something  like  five  to 
six  millions  of  dollars  invested  in  its  prosecution,  but  it 
has  transformed  the  worn-out  and  was*te  lands  of  that 
State  into  model  farms  of  fertility  and  productiveness. 
Deeming  it  a  matter  of  considerable  importance  for  the 
agricultural  interests  of  Alabama,  that  we  should  have 
some  knowledge  of  its  operation  there,  I  visited  the  Agri- 
cultural College  and  State  experimental  farm  of  New  Jer- 
sey, and  from  what  I  saw  and  heard,  was  convinced  that 
wherever  used,  these  marls  had  increased  the  productive- 
ness of  the  lands  in  a  two-fold  degree.  Dr.  Cook,  the 


accomplished  State  Geologist,  and  who  has  also  charge  of 
the  Agricultural  College  and  model  farm  of  the  State, 
describes  the  importance  of  this  marl  in  the  following 
terms :  "  Much  as  this  fertilizer  has  been  used  in  the  State, 
its  real  value  is  not  yet  fully  appreciated.  It  needs  a  little 
time  to  get  its  full  benefit,  but  when  once  fairly  in  action 
on  a  farm,  its  fertility  is  almost  inexhaustible.  It  gives 
lasting  fertility  to  the  soil,  while  all  other  fertilizers  are 
soon  exhausted,  and  the  soil  worn  out.  I  have  yet  to  see 
the  first  field  that  has  ever  been  well  marled  that  is  now 
poor.  One  instance  I  know,  where  poor  sandy  land  was 
marled  more  than  thirty  years  ago,  and  has  ever  since 
been  cultivated  without  manure,  and  not  otherwise  well 
managed,  and  the  land  is  still  in  very  good  condition." 
Now,  what  gives  special  value  to  the  statements  of  this 
gentleman  is,  that  he  is  no  mere  theorist,  but  a  practical 
agriculturist,  and  has  experimented  himself  with  the  fer- 
tilizer of  which  he  speaks. 

In  corroboration  of  his  statement  in  this  regard,  I  have 
visited  the  model  farm  under  his  charge,  and  can  bear  tes- 
timony to  the  high  state  of  culture  and  the  great  fertility 
which  it  exhibits.  I  may  also  state  that  some  time  since, 
when  examining  one  of  these  deposits  of  marl  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Evergreen,  I  was  struck  with  the  fertility 
of  a  section  of  land  near  the  deposit,  and  was  informed 
by  the  proprietor  that  it  was  the  result  of  marl  applied 
fifteen  years  ago,  by  his  father,  as  an  experiment,  and  not 
since  renewed.  In  New  Jersey,  this  marl  has  been  applied 
so  liberally  that  all  the  worn  out  lands  of  the  State  have 
been  entirely  recuperated,  and  there  are  probably  no  lands 
in  the  United  States  more  productive  or  profitable.  On 
an  examination  of  the  marl  there  and  here,  I  am  of  the 
decided  opinion  that  ours  is  the  more  valuable  of  the  two, 
and  I  trust  we  shall  soon  have  a  recognition  of  the  fact  in 
its  liberal  use.  When  we  consider  that  it  takes  the  same 
labor  and  expense  to  cultivate  a  poor  soil  as  a  rich  one,  it 
is  surely  all-important  that  the  land  should  be  made  as 
rich  as  it  is  capable  of,  and  more  especially  when  it  can  be 

done  .at  a  trifling  cost.     If  the  money  now   expended   on 
0  inUr/jaofl          A 


10 

high  priced  guano,  and  other  artificial  fertilizers,  was  em- 
ployed in  developing  this  great  natural  fertilizer,  of  which 
probably  millions  of  tons  are  scattered  broad-east  over  a 
considerable  area  of  this  country,  there  is  no  reason  why 
we  should  mpt  add  at  least  one-third  more  to  our  agricul- 
tural products ;  and  the  necessity  will  still  further  appear, 
when  we  consider  that  acre  for  acre,  Alabama  shows  the 
lowest  rate  of  production  in  cotton  but  one  of  all  the  cot- 
ton-producing States.  I  hope  some  of  our  enterprising 
agricultural  friends  will  make  the  experiment,  and  if  they 
do  so  fairly,  I  have  little  doubt  they  will  arrive  at  the  same 
conclusions  and  reap  the  same  benefits  as  the  farmers  of 
New  Jersey.  Regarding  this  valuable  deposit  as  only  very 
slightly,  if  at  all,  less  valuable  than  the  coal  and  iron  de- 
posits of  the  State,  I  am  especially  desirous,  of  directing 
attention  to  its  great  importance. 

THE  COAL  REGION  OF  THE  STATE. 

The  area  of  the  coal  lands  of  the  State  is,  in  round 
numbers,  5,500  square  miles,  known,  respectively,  as  the 
Warrior,  the  Cahaba,  and  the  Coosa  coal  fields,  of  which 
the  first  alone  contains  5,000,  the  remaining  500  being  di- 
vided between  the  two  latter.  No  language  that  I  could 
employ,  could  possibly  do  justice  to  the  immense  value  of 
this  great  natural  deposit  of  mineral  wealth,  the  surface  of 
which,  up  to  the  present  time,  has  not  even  in  its  length 
and  breadth  been  surveyed,  and  yet  which,  by  its  position 
near  the  surface,  its  quality,  and  the  facilities  which  now 
exist,  and  which  are  being  yearly  added  to,  in  the  shape 
of  railroad  communication,  render  these  coal  fields  a  most 
inviting  field  for  investment,  and  will  be  the  means,  at  no 
distant  day,  of  inducing  a  continuous  flow  of  labor  and 
capital  to  this  almost  unpeopled  section  of  the  State. 
"While  the  gold  of  California  and  Australia,  the  silver  of 
Nevada  and  Colorado,  and  the  diamonds  of  South  Africa 
may  be  more  attractive  to  those  who  do  not  look  beyond 
the  surface  of  passing  events,  it  is  after  all  the  black  dia- 
mond, less  attractive  though  it  appears,  that  has  proved 
itself  to  be  the  most  valuable  jewel  in  the  diadem  of  civili- 


11 

zation,  and  has  done  more  to  promote  the  comfort,  the  en- 
terprise and  the  wealth  of  nations,  than  all  the  precious 
metals  and  rarest  gems  in  the  history  of  the  world  have 
ever  accomplished.  Alabama  I  regard  one  of  the  richest 
States  of  the  Union  to-day,  not  because  she  has  gold,  or 
silver,  or  diamond  deposits,  however  valuable  these  may 
be,  but  because  she  has  in  untold  plenty  that  without 
which  no  nation  can  be  great,  viz.,  the  twin  powers  of  coal 
and  iron,  which  are  rapidly  placing  a  belt  of  steam  and  a 
band  of  iron  around  the  circumference  o£  the  globe,  aud 
that  are  as  rapidly  developing  the  commercial,  manufac- 
turing, agricultural  and  mechanical  greatness  of  every 
civilized  nation.  If  one  pound  of  coal  can  raise,  as  it  is 
clearly  shown  to  do.  steam  power  equal  to  the  capacity  of 
a  man's  daily  labor,  what  must  be  the  latent  energy  of  the 
millions  of  tons  of  that  mineral,  which  lies  scattered  within 
easy  reach  of  the  surface,  over  5,500  square  miles  of  this 
favored  land.  In  this  view  of  the  case,  the  miner  who  ex- 
cavates two  tons  of  coal  per  diem  increases  the  working 
capacity  of  the  State  enormously,  when  the  product  is  ap- 
plied to  the  generation  of  steam.  If  this  is  so,  we  have 
no  numbers  to  compute,  we  have  no  capacity  to  grasp,  the 
unlimited  wealth  and  power  that  is  slumbering  in  our 
midst,  and  that  only  requires  in  a  moderate  degree  energy, 
capital  and  skill  to  develop.  But  let  us  go  a  step  further, 
and  see  the  commercial  value  of  our  coal  area.  In  an  ex- 
amination of  a  portion  of  the  Warrior  coal  fields,  adjacent 
to  two  of  our  leading  lines  of  railroad,  I  came  to  the  con- 
clusion, by  actual  observation,  that  five  seams  of  coal  were 
easily  traceable  at  the  surface,  showing  an  aggregate  thick- 
ness of  nineteen  feet  four  inches.  Assuming  this  to  be  the 
limit  of  our  coal  strata,  it  would  show  an  aggregate 
amount  of  nineteen  millions  of  tons  for  every  square  mile  ; 
and  if  we  further  suppose  that  only  one  half  of  the  area 
is  productive,  the  sum  total  would  figure  up  fifty -two  bill- 
ions two  hundred  and  fifty  millions  as  the  product  of  our 
coal  fields.  If,  further,  we  were  to  attain  to  a  mining  ca- 
pacity equal  to  the  State  of  Pennsylvania  at  the  present 
time,  it  would  take  two  thousand  years  to  exhaust  the 


12 

• 

supply.  But  we  are  not  for  a  moment  to  suppose  that  this 
estimate,  enormous  as  it  appears,  tells  the  whole  story. 
Let  us  look  at  the  coal  development  in  other  States  on  this 
continent,  and  in  Europe,  where  coal  mining  has  advanced 
farther  than  we  have  any  experience  of  here.  The  coal 
strata  of  Nova  Scotia  and  New  Brunswick  shows  an  aggre- 
gate thickness  of  forty-five  feet,  as  discovered  up  to  the 
present  time.  Missouri  shows  upwards  of  fifty  feet,  Ken- 
tucky nearly  sixty  feet,  and  Pennsylvania,  which  has  de- 
veloped this  great  branch  of  industry  more  largely  than 
any  other  State  on  the  continent,  has  eighteen  seams  in 
working  operation,  showing  an  aggregate  thickness  of  one' 
hundred  and  twenty  feet.  The  Pittsburg  seam  is  known 
to  extend  over  an  area  of  one  hundred  and  twenty-five 
miles  long  by  one  hundred  miles  broad.  The  Mammoth 
seam,  in  the  same  State,  also  occupies  nearly  as  extended 
an  area,  and  is  thirty  feet  thick.  In  England  and  Wales 
more  than  fifty  seams  are  at  present  known  to  exist ;  the 
thickest  yet  discovered  is  of  an  average  thickness  of  thirty 
feet,  and  lies  at  a  depth  of  two  thousand  feet.  In  Erance 
and  Belgium,  where  coal  mining  has  been  also  carried  on, 
to  a  considerable  extent,  and  at  considerable  depths,  ex- 
tensive deposits  exist,  and  in  more  than  one  case  seams 
have  been  found  to  measure  upwards  of  sixty  feet.  I 
might  multiply  cases  indefinitely,  but  I  think  enough  has 

1  •    1       i  'l  j  1  t*  'I*;*  /  "I 


:.:.-  .      .        -          •  . 

when  deep  boring  has  been   tried  here  as 

there.  It  is  by  boring  more  or  less  deep  that  others  nave 
arrived  in  other  fields  at  these  enormous  results,  and  it  is 
therefore  not  too  much  to  expect  that  the  future  will  de- 
velop equally  great  results  in  Alabama  coal  fields,  when 
the  strata  Has  .been  .examined  at.  lower  depths  than  is  at 
present  practicable  to 'us.  All  experience  teaches  us. that 
there  are  no  limits  to  coal  seams  but  the  limit  of  attain- 
able depth.  Coal  can  be  found  in  coal  areas  as  far  down 

as  mining  operations  Have  been,  up   to   the    present  time, 

;  -1  V     •      1.1         ii;:-          ,   /       i    i          i  e  -i 

carried,  viz..  three  thousand  ieet   below   the   surface.     In 

Alabama,  however,  the  dip  of  the  seams  is  in  most  cases 
fnza  oa   eisa^  Dflteatioaj  owj   oiUij    L, 


13 

so  gradual  and  unimportant,  more  particularly  in  the  War- 
rior coal  fields,  that  probably  for  a  generation  to  come, 
mining  will  be  carried  on  at  inconsiderable  depths,  and 
consequently  the  expense  in  this  direction  will  be  reduced 
to  a  minimum.  In  considering  the  value  of  coal  lands, 
let  us  suppose  that  an  acre  will  yield  one  hundred  tons  per 
annum,  and  this  is  a  very  moderate  computation ;  let  us 
suppose  further,  that  twenty-five  cents  per  ton  is  charged 
as  a  royalty  for  proprietary  interest ;  we  have  then  twenty- 
five  dollars  per  acre  per  annum,  which  at  ten  years  pur- 
chase would  show  a  value  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars 
for  every  acre  of  coal  land  in  the  State.  In  Pennsylvania, 
where  the  value  of  these  lands  is  better  understood,  four 
times  that  amount,  I  am  quite  satisfied,  could  not  purchase 
them ;  and  nowhere  in  Great  Britain  could  ten  times  that 
amount  buy  a  single  acre.  The  fact  is,  that  the  mere  sur- 
face or  agricultural  value  of  land  bears  no  proportion  to 
its  mineral  value,  and  the  sooner  we  are  alive  to  this  fact, 
the  sooner  will  the  development  of  these  mineral  regions 
of  ours  be  an  assured  fact. 

As  an  illustration  of  the  value  of  coal  lands  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, I  read  recently  a  paragraph  taken  from  a  leading 
paper  published  in  that  State,  in  which  was  asserted,  that 
Simon  Cameron,  the  well  known  politician,  purchased 
some  twenty  years  ago  100  acres  in  which  coal  was  subse- 
quently discovered,  and  he  has  now  for  some  years  been 
deriving  therefrom  a  revenue  of  30,000  dollars  per  annum. 
I  myself  know  an  instance,  where  a  mining  company  in 
South  Wales,  England,  are  paying  a  yearly  rent  of  85,000 
dollars  for  the  privilege  of  mining  less  than  200  acres  of 
coal  lands,  and  this,  too,  with  the  great  disadvantage  of 
mining,  at  from  one  to  2,000  feet  below  the  surface.  Coal 
mining,  unlike  agriculture,  is  not  affected  by  the  seasons, 
it  is  therefore  more  certain  as  an  investment,  and  more 
reliable  as  a  source  of  labor,  and  profit.  It  accumulates 
wealth  more  rapidly,  gives  more  employment  directly,  and 
indirectly,  than  almost  any  other  pursuit,  and  also  adds 
greatly  to  the  demand  for  agricultural  products  where  car* 
ried  on.  If  Pennsylvania  is  yielding  25  millions  tons  of 


14 

coal  per  annum,  there  is  no  reason  why  Alabama  should 
not,  with  greater  advantage,  produce  10  millions  ;  this  would 
give  at  least  employment  to  100,000  men  directly,  acd  with 
their  families  support  at  least  double  that  number  ;  and  if 
we  add  the  50,000  that  would  be  required  to  support  them 
with  food  and  other  necessaries,  we  should  have  at  least  a 
quarter  of  a  million  of  people  added  to  the  population  of 
the  State,  from  this  source  alone.  But  this  is  not  all ;  every 
one  knows  that  a  large  and  important  industry  permeates 
with  its  beneficial  influence,  every  interest  of  the  commu- 
nity. Our  railroad  system  would  be  greatly  benefitted ; 
our  commercial,  manufacturing,  and  mechanical  interests, 
would  all  feel  the  effects  of  such  an  impulse  ;  and  every 
profession  and  trade  in  our  midst,  would  feel  its  benefits, 
either  directly  or  indirectly.  In  making  these  statements, 
I  am  drawing  no  fancy  picture  ;  we  have  experience  of  older 
countries  and  States  to  verify,  and  more  than  verify  every 
calculation  I  have  made,  and  every  view  of  the  subject  I 
have  advanced.  Would  it  therefore  speak  well  for  the 
intelligence,  the  enterprise,  or  the  forethought  of  the  peo- 
ple of  the  State,  having  such  unlimited  resources  within 
their  reach,  to  allow  others  to  come  in  and  grasp  the  prize 
which  God  and  nature  has  endowed  them  with,  as  a  herit- 
age ?  But  the  question  comes  up,  where  are  we  to  find 
markets  for  10  million  tons  of  coal  per  annum,  even  if  we 
were  in  a, position  to  supply  it ;  and  again,  is  there  no  dan- 
ger that  our  supply  would  largely  exceed  the  requirements 
of  this  section  of  the  country.  In  this  connection,  let  us 
examine  the  probable  sources  of  demand,  and  first,  we  will 
take  the  probable  railroad  demand.  An  experienced  rail- 
road engineer  of  this  State,  says,  in  one  of  his  reports  : 
Goal  as  a  fuel  for  railroad  engines,  is  destined  to  save  mil- 
lions of  dollars.  It  has  been  found  by  actual  experiment, 
that  the  cost  of  running  a  locomotive  with  coal,  is  less  than 
one-half  the  expense  of  running  with  wood  as  a  fuel.  Ex- 
periments have  been  made  on  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad, 
and  the  New  Jersey  Central  So  ad,  and  on  other  important 
lines,  all  over  the  Northern  States,  even  where  coal  costs 
six  dollars  per  ton,  and  upwards,  and  even  then  with  wood, 


15 

estimated  at  two  dollars  per  cord,  the  saving  in  expense  is 
equal  to  one-half.  From  a  calculation  made  by  an  experi- 
enced railroad  Superintendent  in  the  Northern  States,  he 
estimates  that  if  all  the  railroads  would  use  coal  instead  of 
wood,  the  saving  would  be  ten  million  dollars  per  year,  or 
one  per  cent,  on  the  cost  of  railroads  of  the  United  States. 
The  following  report  of  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  railroad, 
where  the  cost  <?f  fuel  is  about  the  same  as  is  paid  by  rail- 
roads here,  is,  I  think,  conclusive  on  this  point :  The  report 
says,  "Much  attention  has  been  paid  to  the  introduction 
of  coal  and  coke,  as  fuel  for  the  passenger  engines,  and 
especial  attention  is  requested  to  the  report  of  the  maker 
of  machinery  on  this  important  subject."  The  results 
have  proved  highly  satisfactory ;  the  engines  operating 
very  economically,  and  efficiently.  Experiments  with  fuel, 
made  with  the  same  engines,  running  with  mail  and  express 
trains  hauling  in  each  case,  five  cars,  resulted  as  follows  : 
With  wood  7 1  cents  per  mile,  with  coke  5J  cents  per  mile, 
with  coal  a  fraction  over  3J  cents  per  mile.  The  cost  of 
running  an  engine  from  Baltimore  to  Wheeling,  397  miles, 
tested  respectively  with  coal,  coke,  and  wood,  resulted  as 
follows :  Wood  cost  $29  56,  coke  cost  $21  22,  coal  cost 
$13  64,  a  saving  as  between  coal  and  wood  of  nearly  $15 J 
per  train,  or  55  per  cent.,  and  this,  too,  with  wood  estimated 
two  dollars  per  cord.  The  report  then  concludes  :  The  great 
economy  to  be  thus  effected,  must  attract  the  attention  of 
managers  of  railroads  generally,  and  add  largely  to  the 
consumption  of  bituminous  coal ;  the  very  coal  I  wish  it 
to  be  understood,  that  we  have  here.  If  we  add  to  this 
exhibit  the  detention  of  trains  in  wooding,  the  loss  of  speed 
and  power  in  slackening  and  gaining  headway  again,  and 
and  the  expense  of  wood  hands ;  this  statement  would 
show  a  still  further  advantage,  on  the  side  of  coal.  With 
these  facts  before  us,  can  there  be  a  doubt  that  every  rail- 
road in  the  whole  Southern  country,  including  the  projected 
line  of  the  Great  Southern  Pacific,  will  be  customers  to  an 
enormous  extent  to  the  central  coal  fields  of  Alabama  ? 
But  there  is  still  another  more  important,  and  yearly  in- 
creasing source  of  demand,  which  bids  fair  to  tax  all  our 


16 

energies  for  its  supply.  I  mean  steam  navigation,  not  only 
on  our  rivers,  bat  for  our  extened  sea  coast.  It  is  un- 
necessary for  me  here  to  state  that  steam  is  much  more 
quickly  raised  by  coal  than  wood  and  that  equal  bulks  of 
coal  and  wood  are  in  favor  of  the  former  fuel,  as  at  least 
three  to  one  for  steam  purpose.  This  question  of  bulk 
alone  in  steam  navigation  would  settle  the  question  irre- 
spective of  cost,  because  the  wood  space  taken  up  in  a 
steam-ship  with  fuel  the  less  capacity  remains  for  freight, 
but  when  to  this  is  added  upwards  of  fifty  per  cent,  as  a 
money  value,  it  is  not  difficult  to  perceive  the  advantage  of 
coal  for  river  and  coast  navigation,  over  the  more  costly 
and  bulky  fuel.  Now,  let  us  see  what  the  extent  of  this 
demand  is,  and  what  it  may  become  ?  I  need  not  remind 
you  that  sailing  ships  are  fast  disappearing  from  the  ocean 
highways,  before  the  swift  and  capacious  steamship,  as  the 
old  stage  coach  and  canal  boat,  are  disappearing  before 
the  swifter  and  surer  railroad  train.  Ocean  navigation  by 
steam,  has  become  a  necessity  of  the  times,  and  is  an  ac- 
complished fact.  It  is  equally  necessary  that  these  steam- 
ships should  have  deposits  of  coal  at  convenient  points. 
A  glance  at  the  coast  line  of  the  United  States,  and  also 
at  the  geological  map  of  this  continent,  will  show  us,  that 
the  coal  fields  of  Alabama,  are  nearest  to  all  the  South 
Atlantic  ports  of  the  United  States,  all  the  shores  of  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  West  Indies,  and  the  vast  eastern 
coast  of  South  America.  Commodore  Maury,  no  mean 
authority  on  this  subject,  thus  speaks  of  the  commercial 
mportance  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  which,  from  its  position 
in  relation  to  us,  ought  to  be  beyond  competition  our 
market  exclusively  for  coal.  The  river  business  he  says, 
drained  into  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  and  Carribean  Sea,  greatly 
exceed  in  extent  of  area,  and  capacity  of  production,  the 
river  basins  of  the  Mediterranean.  The  countries  in  Asia, 
Africa,  and  Europe,  which  comprise  the  river  basins  of  the 
Mediterranean,  are  in  superficial  extent,  but  .little  more 
than  one-fourth  the  size  of  those,  which  are  drained  by 
this  sea  in  our  midst*  The  Gulf  of  Mexico  is  the  Medi- 
terranean of  the  New  "faorld,  and  nature  has  laid  it  out  on 


17 

a  scale  for  commerce,  far  more  grand  than  its  type  of  the 
old, — that  is,  about  forty-four  degrees  of  longitude  in 
length,  by  an  average  of  seven  degrees  of  latitude  in 
width.  Ours  is  broader,  but  not  so  long ;  it  is  therefore 
more  compact.  Had  it  been  left  to  man  to  plan  the  form 
of  a  basin  for  commerce  on  a  large  scale,  a  basin  for  the 
waters  of  our  rivers,  and  the  products  of  our  lands,  we 
could  not  have  drawn  one  better  adapted  for  it  than  that 
of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  nor  placed  it  in  a  position  half  so 
admirable.  The  Mississippi  and  the  Amazon,  are  the  two 
great  commercial  Arteries  of  the  continent ;  they  are  fed 
by  tributaries  with  navigable  length  of  channel,  more  than 
enough  to  encircle  the  Globe,  and  when  we  consider  that 
this  mighty  commerce  of  which  the  talented  Commodore 
so  eloquently,  truthfully,  and  graphically  speaks,  must  be 
carried  on  by  steam  navigation,  and  that  our  coal  supply 
is  their  nearest  point ;  is  it  not  a  just  conclusion,  that  the 
demand  upon  our  coal  fields  must  be  constant  and  enorm- 
ous from  this  source  alone. 

Again,  in  a  military  report  to  the  government  of  the 
United  States,  by  an  officer  of  experience,  we  find  the  fol- 
lowing statement  pertinent  to  the  same  subject : 

"  Considering  that  war  steamers  would  enter  largely,  if 
not  exclusively,  into  our  naval  forces  in  the  Gnlf  of  Mexico, 
it  is  important  that  convenient  depots  of  coal  should  be 
established  there.  Depots  could  be  made  at  Bahia  Honda, 
and  at  Key  West.  At  Tortugas,  a  three  years  supply  for 
thirty  steamers  should  be  constantly  maintained ;  this 
alone  would  be,  at  a  moderate  estimate,  nearly  eight  mil- 
lions of  tons  for  one  depot.  Tampa  Bay  would  probably 
afford  the  requisite  depth  of  water  for  heavy  steamers,  and 
convenient  sites  for  the  depot  and  its  defense.  Thus  held, 
it  would  give  also  protection  to  vessels  seeking  refuge  from 
an  enemy.  A  coal  deposit  would  also  be  established  at 
Pensacola  and  Mobile  Point,  under  the  protection  of  Fort 
Morgan.  Another  depot  of  coal  would  afford  great  facili- 
ties to  steam  operations,  if  established  at  Ship  Island.  A 
depot  at  Fort  Jackson  would  also  be  necessary  to  enable 
the  steamers  descending  from  Memphis,  to  take  in  a  full 
2 


IS 

supply  of  coal  before  proceeding  to  sea."  Here  we  have 
seven  large  depots  of  coal  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  deemed 
necessary  for  war  steamers  alone,  and  one  of  these  depots 
would  require  about  eight  million  tons  for  a  three  years 
supply  at  a  moderate  computation,  tive  hundred  com- 
mercial steamers  would  be  none  too  many,  for  the  extended 
line  of  sea-coast  that  Alabama  should  supply  with  coal, 
and  at  least  five  million  tons  would  be  required  by  this 
branch  alone. 

But  there  is  still  another  great  source  of  demand  for  the 
coal  of  Alabama,  which,  although  important  in  itself,  will 
develop  a  great  additional  industry  in  our  midst,  second 
to  none  in  the  benefit  it  will  confer,  or  the  wealth  it  will 
distribute.  I  allude  to  the  manufacture  of  iron  in  the 
State.  It  is  here,  that  in  natural  advantages,  we  stand  un- 
rivalled by  any  State  of  the  Union.  Possessing  as  we  do 
a  ridge  of  iron  ore  one  hundred  miles  long,  with  an  average 
thickness  of  little  less  than  fifteen  feet,  skirted  along  its 
whole  length  by  one  of  our  most  important  railroads,  no 
where  more  than  a  mile  distant,  we  have  an  inexhaustible 
supply  that  may  challenge  the  world  to  equal.  Nor  is  even 
this  our  only  supply  of  this  valuable  mineral ;  we  have 
large  deposits  of  brown  hematite  also,  scattered  along  our 
coal  region,  scarcely  inferior  in  quantity,  and  equally  rich, 
if  not  superior  in  quality  to  the  first  mentioned  deposit. 
In  addition  to  this,  we  have  interstratified  with  our  coal, 
the  celebrated  black  band  iron  ore,  which  supplies  to  Great 
Britain  almost  exclusively  her  immense  demands.  The 
great  value  attached  to  these  iron  ore  deposits,  arises  from 
their  close  proximity  to  the  coal  beds.  Iron  ore  without 
coal,  would  be  of  comparatively  little  value,  because  in 
order  to  make  it  available  for  useful  purposes,  it  must  be 
reduced,  or  in  other  words,  made  more  or  less  pure  by  the 
process  of  smelting.  This  can  be  done  with  charcoal,  but 
the  value  is  so  enhanced  with  that  fact,  that  we  could  not 
successfully  compete  as  regards  cost,  with  coal  smelted 
iron.  It  is  for  this  reason,  among  others,  that  the  British 
iron  competes  successfully  with  all  other  manufactured 
iron  as  to  cost,  because  their  abundant  coal  production 
enables  them  to  smelt  iron  cheaply,  and  thus  overcome  the 


19 

cost  of  transportation  to  the  markets  of  the  world.  Now 
what  they  have  done  and  are  doing,  we  have  also  the  natu- 
ral advantages  to  do,  and  we  have  the  further  advantage 
over  them  in  the  fact,  that  our  iron  ores  have  a  higher 
per  centage  of  pure  iron  than  theirs,  as  thirty  per  cent,  is 
to  forty-five.  That  is  to  say,  the  principal  ores  of  Great 
Britain  yield  on  the  average  only  thirty  per  cent,  of  iron, 
while  those  we  have  here,  range  from  forty  to  fifty-five  per 
cent.  Another  advantage  we  have  is,  that  a  large  portion 
of  our  ores,  are  at  or  near  the  surface,  and  can  be  mined 
at  comparatively  small  cost,  while  theirs  being  interstrati- 
fied  with  the  coal,  and  in  most  cases,  at  considerable 
depths,  would  at  least  double  the  cost  of  production,  and 
thus  more  than  equalize  any  benefit-  they  may  have  from 
cheaper  labor. 

I  make  these  comparisons,  not  from  any  spirit  of  jeal- 
ousy or  rivalry,  but  simply  because  if  I  can  shew  that  we 
can  compete  as  regards  cost,  with  Britain,  in  the  manu- 
facture of  iron,  we  can  have  nothing  to  fear  from  any  other 
quarter.  Great  Britain  can  produce  pig  iron  at  about  fif- 
teen dollars  per  ton  ;  if,  then,  we  can  here  manufacture  it 
it  as  cheaply,  we  need  fear  no  rival  on  this  continent. 
From  a  careful  examination,  I  have  come  to  the  conclusion 
that  this  can  be  done,  and  on  submitting  my  estimates  te 
the  managers  of  two  iron  manufactories,  the  one  in  Ten- 
nessee, the  other  in  Alabama,  they  agree  with  the  conclu- 
sions to  which  I  have  come.  If  we  can  then  produce  pig 
iron  at  fifteen  dollars  per  ton,  we  can  produce  railroad  iron 
at  fifty  dollars  per  ton.  I  may  here  mention,  that  I  have 
a  detailed  estimate  of  cost  prepared  for  both  classes  of 
iron,  that  I  will  be  happy  to  show  any  one  who  wishes  to 
examine  this  subject  more  thoroughly. 

I  have  taken  some  pains  to  ascertain  what  pig  iron  and 
railroad  iron  is  produced  at  in  Pennsylvania,  at  the  princi- 
pal iron  works  there,  and  I  find  that  the  profitable  produc- 
tion per  ton  of  pig  iron  would  average  at  least  twenty-five 
dollars  per  ton,  and  railroad  iron  sixty-five  dollars  per  ton. 
I  do  not  know  what  the  aggregate  amount  of  railroad  iron 
brought  into  the  State,  within  the  past  two  years  may  be, 


20 

but  it  must  be  very  considerable,  and  the  fact  that  we  are 
paying  to  others,  fully  a  third  more  than  it  can  be  made 
for  here,  is  something  at  least  to  be  surprised  at.  Ala- 
bama should  supply  all  iron,  including  railroad  iron,  to 
Florida,  Mississippi,  Louisiana,  and  Texas  ;  the  West  In- 
dies, Brazil,  and  in  fact,  all  South  American  States,  be- 
cause she  is  the  nearest  point  of  supply,  and  if  we  do  not 
do  so  in  the  future,  it  will  not  be  for  want  of  ability  to 
distance  all  competitors,  but  because  we  are  not  equal  to 
the  advantages  we  possess,  nor  have  the  energy  and  the 
enterprize  to  make  these  natural  advantages  our  own. 

In  concluding  this  part  of  the  subject,  I  may  explain 
that  it  was  my  intention  only  to  give  a  sketch  of  the  min- 
eral resources  of  Alabama,  not  a  complete  delineation  of 
them.  In  the  limit  of  a  single  report,  such  a  broad  field 
of  inquiry  as  is  here  presented,  not  even  a  volume  could 
embrace  all  the  facts,  but  if  the  mere  sketch  which  I  have 
now  given,  should  serve  the  purpose  of  directing  the  at- 
tention of  earnest  men  to  the  subject,  it  will  produce  all 
the  effect  that  I  can  reasonably  desire.  I  may  further  add 
that  I  have  purposely  abstained  from  theorizing  on  the  sub- 
ject, mentioning  only  facts  either  observed  by  myself,  or 
that  have  come  from  what  I  regard  as  reliable  sources.  I 
have  also  endeavored  to  fortify  my  opinions  by  the  state- 
ments, experience,  and  conclusions,  of  eminent  men  who 
have  written  on  kindred  subjects.  I  look  upon  their  state- 
ments as  particularly  valuable  in  the  present  case,  because 
while  they  strengthen  our  position,  such  was  not  their  in- 
tention ;  they  therefore  come  before  us  as  disinterested 
witnesses  in  the  case.  There  is  no  doubt,  that  within  the 
boundaries  of  Alabama,  we  have  mines  of  wealth  in  our 
mineral  deposits,  about  which  there  can  be  no  controversy ; 
but  there  is  one  thing  we  lack,  and  without  which  no  nat- 
ural resources  however  vast,  and  no  lands  however  fertile, 
can  be  of  any  avail ;  I  mean  the  labor  and  the  capital  that 
must  develop  them.  I  believe  I  am  correct  in  stating  that 
there  is  not  another  State  in  the  Union  that  has  done  so 
little  to  encourage  immigration  as  Alabama ;  and  I  believe 
further,  that  every  State  but  this  has  an  organization  more 


21 

or  less  complete  and  operative  for  that  special  purpose.  I 
have  put  myself  in  communication  with  all  the  Soulhern 
States  in  this  matter,  and  many  of  the  Western  States  also, 
and  I  find  that  all  of  them  have  bureaus  of  immigration  at 
home ;  and  many  of  them,  especially  the  Western  States, 
have  agents  abroad  encouraging  and  directing  immigra- 
tion, by  every  means  in  their  power,  to  their  respective 
States.  They  reason  thus,  and  I  think  their  reasoning 
conclusive  :  If  we  can  induce,  by  a  wise  expenditure  of 
ten  thousand  dollars  yearly,  one  thousand  immigrants  to 
make  their  homes  in  our  midst,  we  add  one  hundred  thou- 
sand dollars  to  the  wealth  of  the  State ;  and  this  is  found 
to  be  practically  the  case.  Every  immigrant  has  at  least 
a  productive  power  of  one  thousand  dollars,  and  this  is  the 
reason  why  the  Western  States  are  increasing  so  rapidly 
in  population  and  in  wealth,  and  are  destined  at  no  distant 
day  to  become  the  controlling  power  in  the  political  and 
material  destinies  of  this  continent.  If  they  had  any  ma- 
terial advantages  that  the  South  does  not  possess,  it  would 
be  our  wisdom  here  to  bow  to  the  inevitable  necessity  of 
the  case ;  but  it  is  far  otherwise.  We  have  a  superior  cli- 
mate to  theirs,  a  soil  unrivalled  in  its  fertility  if  properly 
cultivated,  and  enriched,  and  we  have  in  our  mineral  wealth 
an  element  of  greatness  which,  like  a  slumbering  giant, 
lies  powerless  until  the  hum  of  busy  industry  shall  habili- 
tate it  with  life  and  power.  It  is  a  fallacious  opinion,  en- 
tertained by  some,  that  our  climate  is  not  suited  to  white 
labor.  Why  ?  what  have  we  in  the  whole  northern  portion 
of  this  State  but  white  labor?  If  white  men  can 'and  do 
work  on  the  levees  of  New  Orleans,  they  surely  can  much 
more  stand  the  climate  of  the  upland  mineral  regions  of 
Alabama.  It  is  our  duty  and  our  interest  to  tell  the  immi- 
grants that  come  to  these  shores,  that  the  summer  of  the 
West  is  hotter  than  ours,  while  the  winter  is  longer  and  far 
more  severe,  and  that  the  alternations  of  heat  and  cold  are 
far  more  trying  to  European  constitutions  there  than  any 
they  will  find  in  the  Southern  States.  I  think  this  ques- 
tion of  immigration  is  the  overshadowing  one  of  the  pres- 
ent day  for  us.  Without  increased  population,  what  are 


22 

railroads  or  steamboats,  or  any  system  of  internal  improve- 
ment"? They  are  simply  as  the  husk  is  to  the  kernel.  We 
may  talk  till  doomsday  about  our  mineral  resources,  our 
fertile  soils,  our  fine  climate,  our  natural  advantages ;  but 
without  the  bone  and  muscle  that  raises  from  the  dark  re- 
cesses of  the  mine,  and  from  the  generous  and  fruitful 
earth,  their  garnered  wealth,  we  can  expect  no  advance- 
men  in  the  path  of  progress.  The  Bureau  of  Statistics  at 
Washington  has  published  recently  a  most  valuable  report 
on  this  important  subject,  which  places  in  a  clear  view  and 
on  reliable  data,  the  value  of  immigration  to  the  United 
States.  The  following  extracts  from  it  are  worthy  of  our 
most  serious  attention.  The  report  says  : 

"The  unexampled  development  of  the  Northwestern 
States  is  largely  owing  to  the  influx  of  skilled  and  com- 
mon labor  during  the  period  of  the  two  last  decades- 
Within  the  past  few  years  especially,  owing  to  the  com- 
pletion of  the  railroad  to  the  Pacific,  and  other  great 
works  of  internal  improvement  in  the  western  portion  of 
our  domain,  and  to  the  changed  system  of  labor  in  the 
Southern  States,  extraordinary  inducements  for  immigra- 
tion have  been  presented,  and  the  subject,  always  interest- 
ing, now  possessess  a  peculiar  claim  on  public  attention. 
During  the  entire  period  from  1820  to  1870,  the  increase 
of  each  year  over  the  one  immediately  preceding  it,  if  uni- 
form, would  average  13  per  cent.  The  aggregate  number 
of  immigrants  who  arrived  between  October  1st,  1819,  and 
December,  1870,  was  7,553,865,  and  if  the  250,000  estima- 
ted as  arriving  previous  to  the  first  named  date  be  in- 
cluded, the  total  number  of  aliens  who  have  been  perma- 
nently added  to  our  population  by  direct  immigration  since 
the  formation  of  the  government,  will  reach  7;803,865. 
Referring  to  the  money  value  of  an  immigrant,  it  may  be 
stated  that  the  sum  of  one  thousand  dollars  has  been 
usually  regarded  as  the  average  worth  of  each  permanent 
addition  to  our  population ;  but  Mr.  Knapp,  one  of  the 
Commissioners  of  Immigration  of  the  State  of  New  York, 
who  has  given  much  consideration  to  the  subject,  assumes 
the  average  value  to  be  one  thousand  one  hundred  and 


23 

twenty-five  dollars.  At  this  rate,  those  who  landed  upon 
our  shores  during  the  year  just  closed  added  upwards  of 
three  hundred  and  eighty-five  millions  of  dollars  to  our 
national  wealth,  while  during  the  last  half  century,  the 
increment  from  this  source  has  been  six  billions  two  hun- 
dred and  forty-three  millions  eight  hundred  thousand  dol- 
lars. It  is  impossible  to  make  an  intelligent  estimate  of 
the  value  to  the  country  of  those  foreign  born  citizens  who 
brought  their  educated  minds,  their  cultivated  tastes,  their 
skill  in  the  arts  and  sciences,  and  their  inventive  genius. 
In  almost  every  walk  of  life  their  influence  has  been  felt, 
alike  in  the  fearful  ordeal  of  war,  but  more  eminently  in 
the  pursuit  of  peace.  In  our  legislative  halls,  and  in  the 
various  learned  professions,  the  adopted  sons  of  America 
have  obtained  eminence.  Their  work  also  appears  in  the 
form  of  productive  fields  reclaimed  from  the  wilderness, 
buildings  and  fences  erected,  agricultural  implements  and 
stock  accumulated,  and  mineral  wealth  developed.  Being 
the  result  of  voluntary  industry  and  self-imposed  economy, 
it  is  an  increase  directly  to  the  State  in  which  they  settle, 
conferring  that  highest  form  of  wealth,  a  sturdy,  intelli- 
gent and  independent  yeomanry,  the  very  balance-wheel  . 
of  national  machinery."  Now  this  picture — a  picture  and 
yet  a  reality — presents  only  its  dark  side  to  us.  Of  the 
380,000  immigrants  from  Europe  that  reached  these  shores 
last  year,  with  their  estimated  added  wealth  to  the  country 
of  three  hundred  and  eighty  millions  of  dollars,  probably 
not  one  hundred  persons  came  to  Alabama  ;  and  the  rea- 
son is  obvious :  while  other  States  are  straining  every 
nerve,  and  making  use  of  every  legitimate  means  within 
their  reach,  we  are,  up  to  the  present  time,  taking  no 
means  to  divert  even  the  smallest  rill  of  this  mighty  living 
stream  that  is  flowing  into  the  West  with  its  burden  of  la- 
bor and  wealth.  Immigration  must  be  invited  here.  It 
must  be  sought  out  at  its  source,  and  encouraged  to  come 
by  every  argument  and  every  fact  that  we  can  place  before 
it.  This  being  done,  we  may  reasonably  hope  to  have  at 
least  a  share  of  the  benefits  so  eloquently  and  truthfully 
portrayed  in  the  report  from  which  I  have  quoted. 


24 

If  the  State  would  give  five  thousand  dollars  per  annum, 
and  the  leading  railroad  companies,  who  are  also  largely 
interested  in  this  matter,  would  make  up  among  them  five 
thousand  dollars  more,  a  permanent  and  effective  organi- 
zation could  be  secured,  that  would  not  only  operate  here 
at  home,  but  secure  at  least  two  leading  agencies  abroad, 
at  the  principal  shipping  ports,  whose  business  it  would  be 
to  supply  such  information  and  give  such  advice  as  to  in- 
duce immigration  to  the  State.  If  this  was  done,  I  am 
persuaded  that  in  a  year  or  two  we  would  be  reimbursed 
one  hundred  fold  all  that  we  expend  in  this  important 
work.  Our  State  Agricultural  and  Mechanical  Association 
might  also  do  much  in  establishing  a  central  depot  at  the 
fair  grounds  for  the  reception  of  immigrants  until  they 
could  be  permanently  located.  Each  county  association 
could  also  lend  a  helping  hand  in  their  respective  sections  ; 
and  the  proprietors  of  uncultivated  lands  should,  by  a  lib- 
eral and  wise  arrangement,  alike  profitable  to  themselves 
and  the  immigrants,  help  on  in  the  great  work. 

But  not  alone  do  we  require  labor ;  we  also  want  capital, 
without  which  our  progress  would  be  slow  and  our  efforts 
unimportant.  Two  conditions  are  required  to  be  clearly 
shown  before  obtaining  it,  viz.,  that  the  investments  are 
safe,  and  that  they  will  be  profitable.  Capital  is  habitu- 
ally cautious,  and  no  capitalist  will  embark  his  means  in 
an  uncertain  project,  if  he  so  understands  it.  Now,  I  think 
in  our  mineral  resources  we  can  show  clearly  those  requi- 
sites which  capital  demands  before  investment.  Coal  and 
iron  lands  have  everywhere  been  considered  both  safe  and 
profitable,  and  the  working  of  them,  when  properly  con- 
ducted, has  been  a  source  of  wealth  not  only  to  the  pro- 
prietors, but  also  to  the  countries  where  they  have  been 
developed  roost.  In  inviting  capital,  therefore,  all  we  re- 
quire to  show  is,  that  we  have  in  abundance  these  sources 
of  wealth  which  are  acknowledged  by  all,  and  if  we  do  so 
where  capital  is  abundant  and  cheap,  our  success  in  this 
particular  will  be  assured. 

J.  L.  TAIT, 
Coi)un.i**i(ntti'  of  Industrial  Resources. 


YC 


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